The present invention relates to a method for controlling engine torque for use, for example, during a gear changing operation in a vehicle.
It is known, particularly for automatic and semi-automatic transmissions, to control the engine torque when the transmission is changing from one gear to another in order to improve the comfort for the driver and passengers of the vehicle.
One example of a method of controlling engine torque in an automatic transmission is shown in EP-A-0,355,070, in which the engine torque is reduced during a period of the gear change. The start and end times of this control period are determined from mathematical formulae which are based on the engine speed at particular points in the gear change. A problem with this type of torque control is that the mathematical formulae do not give the best results over the whole range of gear changes.